Directional firing spider type fuel burner



Nov. 6, 1962 R. D. REED DIRECTIONAL FIRING SPIDER TYPE FUEL BURNER Filed Sept. 4, 1958 Rose Era. REED ATTORNEY 1 United States Patent Oflflce 3,062,275 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 3,062,275 DIRECTIONAL FIRING SPIDER TYPE FUEL BURNER Robert 1). Reed, Tulsa, kla., assignor to John Zink Company, Tulsa, Okla., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 838,202 3 Claims. (Cl. 158116) The present invention relates to a burner for gaseous fuels and more specifically pertains to a spider type burner head with the arms of the spider arranged in a substantially common plane and having discharge ports in the arms for the escape of gaseous fuel which are so located and disposed to develop a flame having its center line at an acute angle with respect to the axis of the burner head and at an acute angle with respect to the plane of the spider arms.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a spider type burner head wherein the arms radiating from the hub structure have downstream faces in a substantially common plane which is approximately at right angles to the axis of the burner head and to provide discharge ports in the spider arms for the escape of the gaseous fuel with these ports so arranged as to develop a flame wherein its center line is disposed at an acute angle with respect to such plane and to provide a mounting for the spider type burner head so that it may be rotated about the axis of the burner head to provide for the discharge of the flame in various directions as a consequence of three hundred and sixty degree rotation of the burner head.

Another and more detailed object of the invention is to provide discharge ports at opposite sides of the arms of a spider type burner arranged in such manner that there is substantially impingement of a fuel jet escaping from one discharge port of one arm with the fuel jet escaping through one discharge port of an adjacent arm to dissipate the energy of these fuel jets to provide a relative "soft flame which is readily influenced by the gaseous fuel stream or streams escaping through other discharge ports in each arm which pick up and direct the soft flame in a direction with its center line at an acute angle to the downstream face of the burner head.

Other objects and features of the invention will be appreciated and become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains as the present disclosure proceeds and upon consideration of the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawing wherein an embodiment of the invention is disclosed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a spider type burner exhibiting the invention illustrated in association with an opening in a furnace wall.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the burner head taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1. I

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse section of one of the hollow arms of the spider taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the burner head on a smaller scale diagrammatically illustrating the approximate shape and direction of the flame produced by the burner head.

Referring to the drawing there is shown a spider type burner head which includes a hub 11 and hollow arm 12 extending therefrom with the arms disposed radially of the hub structure. In the embodiment illustrated the burner head is provided with eight arms 12 which are circumferentially spaced from each other to provide triangular shaped spaces therebetween but the number of arms and the diameter of the burner head may be altered to provide the desired heat release from the burner. The burner head may be mounted in an opening 14 in a wall 16 of a furnace. A sleeve 17 which may be formed integral with the hub 11 of the burner head is adapted for connection to a conduit 18 in order to supply gaseous fuel under pressure into the hub 11 for movement therefrom into the hollow arms 12.

Each hollow arm 12 is provided with an elongated flat downstream face 19. These narrow flat downstream faces 19 on the respective arms 12 are arranged in a substantially common plane which is disposed approximately at right angles to the axis 20 of the burner head. A wall 21 having a flat downstream face closes the hub 11 and the downstream face of the wall 11 is flush with the flat elongated surfaces 19 carried by the respective hollow arms 12. In the embodiment illustrated and as shown in FIG. 4 the flat surfaces 19 and the downstream face of the wall 21 are aligned with the inner surface 22 of the furnace wall 16. The free end of each hollow arm 12 is closed by an end wall 23. Each hollow arm 12 is also provided with two flat surfaces 24 and 26 which extend throughout the length of the arms and these surfaces diverge in proceeding upstream of the burner head from the associated elongated fiat surface 19 as best shown in FIG. 3.

A plurality of discharge ports 27 are provided at one side of each hollow arm 12. The exit ends of discharge ports 27 emerge in the flat surface 24 of the associated arm. The discharge ports 27 are desirably arranged as a row along one side of each arm 12 and the axis of each discharge port 27 is disposed at an angle of at least sixty degrees with respect to the plane 28 of the associated arm 12. A plurality of discharge ports 29 are provided at the other side of each hollow arm 12. The exit ends of the discharge ports 29 emerge in the flat surface 26 of the associated arm. The discharge ports 29 are desirably arranged as a row along the second side of each arm 12 and the axis of each discharge port 29 is disposed at an angle of at least sixty degrees with respect to the plane 28 of the associated arm 12. The included angle between the axis of the ports 27 and the ports 29 is at least one hundred and twenty degrees. The discharge ports 27 and 29 are arranged in transverse alignment on each arm 12.

Each hollow arm 12 is provided with additional discharge ports for the purpose of increasing the capacity of the burner head and for the further and important purpose of influencing the direction at which the flame is developed downstream of the burner head. In the embodiment illustrated directional discharge ports 31 are provided in each hollow arm IZ-adjacent the free end thereof. The exit ends of these directional discharge ports 31 emerge in the respective elongated flat surfaces 19. The axis of all of the discharge ports 31 slope in one general direction. In the embodiment shown the axis of each discharge port 31 is indicated by an arrow so that the gaseous fuel escaping through these ports is directed to the right in FIG. 1. The directional discharge ports 31 in the arm 12 disposed in the twelve oclock position in FIG. 1 have their axis disposed at an acute angle with respect to the plane 28 and also at right angles to the plane 28. The axis of each other discharge port 31 is parallel to the axis of either of the ports in the arm 12 in the twelve oclock position. The angle at which the axes of the discharge ports 31 diverge from or converge towards the plane 28 in proceeding downstream of the burner head is between fifteen and fortyfive degrees with respect to the plane 28. In a preferred embodiment the angle between the axes of the discharge port 3 1 and the plane 28 is at least thirty degrees. The axes of all of the discharge ports 31 are disposed at an acute angle with respect to the plane of the flat elongated surfaces 19. This angle is between fortyfive and seventy-five degrees.

The gaseous fuel supplied into the hub structure 11 under pressure moves into the hollow arms 12 and escapes through the discharge ports and upon kindling com- =3 bustion is initiated and heat is produced in the space to be fired. The rate at which the gaseous fuel moves through the respective discharge ports is dependent upon the pressure within the associated arm and this pressure is in general proportional to the distance of a particular discharge port from the hub 11. There is a pressure condition within each arm 12 adjacent the hub Structure 11 but a higher pressure condition at the free end of each arm adjacent its end wall 23. This difference in pressure along the length of each arm 12 results from impact of the flow of the gaseous fuel against the respective end walls 23. In the embodiment shown in the drawing the pressure at the free end of each arm 11 is approximately twice the pressure existing within each arm adjacent the innermost discharge ports 27 and 29. The velocity of the flow of the gaseous fuel through any of the discharge ports is proportional to the square root of the pressure. The gaseous fuel jets escaping through the ports 27 of one arm 12 strike or impinge the streams of gaseous fuel issuing through the discharge ports 29 of an adjacent arm. The angle of impingement of these gaseous fuel jets is high to materially dissipate the energy of the stream of gaseous fuel escaping through the discharge ports 27 and 29. The burning fuel from this portion of the fuel mixture provides a soft flame which may be readily influenced. The gaseous fuel escaping through the directional discharge ports 31 has a high energy level because of the higher pressure near the free ends of the hollow arms 12. The gaseous fuel jets escaping through the directional discharge ports 31 does not impinge upon the fuel escaping through the ports of any other arm. Thus the full energy of the gaseous fuel streams escaping through the discharge ports 31 is available to pick up and direct the soft flame. Since all of the discharge ports 31 direct this portion of the gaseous fuel in the same direction the flame is developed to a corresponding side of the burner head. The flame is of an elongated character and the center line 36 is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the downstream face of the burner head and at an acute angle with regard to the axis 20 of the burner head as depicted in FIG. 4. The angle indicated at X may be varied by altering the angle of inclination of the discharge ports 31 which may vary between fifteen and forty-five degrees with respect to the plane 28. The direction at which the burner head will direct the flame may be varied by rotating the burner head about its axis 20'. The dimensions of the burner head may be of any size to provide the desired heat release and the number of arms may be altered and other changes may be made in the burner head including the number and size of the discharge ports. Various changes may be made in the structural characteristics of the burner head as long as it embodies the characteristics described for taking ad'- vantage of the high energy level of the directional discharge ports to divert the flame. Such changes and others may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A spider type burner head comprising, a hub member, means for supplying gaseous fuel under pressure into said hub member, a plurality of hollow arms carried by and extending radially from the hub in a generally common plane receiving the gaseous fuel from the hub member, means closing the free end of each of said arms, each arm having a first group of discharge ports at one side thereof for the escape of gaseous fuel, each arm having a second group of discharge ports at the other side thereof for the escape of gaseous fuel, the axis of each discharge port of the first group and the axis of each discharge port of the second group diverging in proceeding downstream and being so positioned and arranged that the gaseous fuel escaping from the discharge ports of the first group intermingle with the gaseous fuel escaping from the discharge ports of the second group of an adjacent arm, each arm having a third group of discharge ports between some of the discharge ports of the first and second groups adjacent the free end of the arm for a projection of the escape of gaseous fuel, the axis of the discharge ports of the third groups viewed along the axis of the burner head being disposed substantially at right angles to a diametrical plane of the burner head which is defined by the axis of the burner head, the axis of each discharge port of the third group at one side of said diametrical plane being at an acute angle with respect to said common plane and diverging from said diametrical plane, and the axis of each discharge port of the third group at the other side of said diametrical plane being disposed at an acute angle with respect to said common plane and converging towards said diametrical plane.

2. A spider type burner head comprising, a hub member, means for supplying gaseous fuel under pressure into said hub member, a plurality of hollow arms carried by and extending radially from the hub member receiving the gaseous fuel from the hub member, means closing the free end of each arm, each arm having discharge ports at one side thereof for the escape of gaseous fuel, each arm having discharge ports at the other side thereof for the escape of gaseous fuel, the axis of each discharge port at one side of each arm diverging from the axis of each discharge port at the other side in proceeding downstream with said ports so constructed and arranged that the gaseous fuel escaping from the discharge ports at one side of one arm intermingle with the gaseous fuel escaping from the discharge ports at the other side of an adjacent arm, each arm having a third set of discharge ports between some of the discharge ports at each side thereof and adjacent the free end of the arm for the escape of gaseous fuel, the axes of the discharge ports of said third sets sloping in the same direction laterally of the burner head, and the axis of each discharge port of the third set being inclined at an acute angle with respect to a plane which is parallel to the axis of the burner head.

3. A spider type burner head according to claim 2 wherein the number of discharge ports in the third set are less than the number of discharge ports at each side of an arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,578,210 Schrader Mar. 23, 1926 1,758,628 Thurm et al. May 13, 1930 2,487,959 Zink Nov. 15, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 31,636 Netherlands Dec. 15, 1933 

